MLM Counties News. Notices. Need-to-know Information.

A group of former inmates can proceed with a class action against Lincoln County over the county’s practice of withholding portions of cash bonds to pay incarceration costs, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

The Appellate Judicial Commission began interviews this afternoon in Jefferson City for the 13 candidates who applied for the opening, left by Judge Michael Wolff’s retirement from the bench earlier this month.

A Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s ceremony took a turn for the poignant Tuesday night when the agency gave two awards that marked the sudden death of a volunteer earlier this year. Legal Services honored a total of 12 people and organizations with “For the Common Good” awards at the event in the downtown Westin St. Louis. The agency provides legal aid to low-income people in 21 counties in eastern Missouri

Plaintiffs’ attorneys get to keep fees of up to $21 million after the Missouri Supreme Court turned down an appeal of a settlement with A.G. Edwards. The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would not take up objectors’ challenge of the settlement of a class action that alleged kickbacks from mutual fund groups. The agreement includes $26 million in cash, most of which would go to the attorneys’ fees, and vouchers valued at $34 million.

Kansas City-based Polsinelli Shughart is planning to add a 13-attorney Denver firm, announcing that six partners from the firm will join while the remaining seven lawyers have offers to join. The group of attorneys from Denver firm Hensley Kim will join effective Nov. 1. Their practices include corporate law, intellectual property, real estate, construction and business litigation. The firm announced Tuesday that that the following firm partners, including name partners, are joining: Darren Hensley, John Kim, Stacy Carpenter, Ryan Warren, Michael Dulin and Paul Franke.

Several judges in the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in downtown St. Louis had to relocate hearings after a pipe burst and heavily damaged several floors Tuesday night. Water gushed from the pipe for seven hours before the flooding was discovered at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Tagged with: Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse

Christopher Schmidt has carved out a niche in the Bryan Cave's pro bono efforts: He handles international child abduction cases for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the U.S. State Department.

Tagged with: Bryan Cave Christopher Schmidt Hague Convention international child abduction

Thinking about changing a client’s payment arrangements?

Now an American Bar Association committee is spelling out when it’s reasonable — and unreasonable — for lawyers to change a client’s fee terms during representation.

Tagged with: American Bar Association fee arrangement Mike Downey

A couple has filed a potential class action lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase alleging the New York-based lender intentionally misled and delayed Missouri home-owners seeking loan modifications.

Tagged with: HAMP HARP John Driscoll JPMorgan Chase Sharon Hayes Thomas Hayes

A new joint legislative committee will spend the rest of the year parsing the impact of two court decisions that have caused considerable strife for St. Louis County school districts. The committee likely won’t hold hearings or take substantive action on the issue until after a scheduled Sept. 26 trial date in the higher-profile case of the two decisions, said a Senate spokeswoman.

Neil Turner, a 28-year-old from Fairdealing, Mo., was arrested by conservation agents in 2009 on accusations of illegal “deer-dogging,” or using dogs to hunt deer, in the Mark Twain National Forest.